Oregon Mall Shooter Used Stolen AR-15 Rifle

A gunman who opened fire in a mall crowded with Christmas shoppers on Tuesday afternoon was apparently shooting randomly and only stopped when his gun jammed, said the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Wednesday. Photo: Getty Images.

By

Joel Millman and

Steven D. Jones

Updated Dec. 12, 2012 8:08 p.m. ET

CLACKAMAS, Ore.—The man who opened fire in a mall in this Portland suburb Tuesday was a 22-year-old who used an AR-15 assault rifle he stole from an acquaintance, police said.

The alleged gunman, Jacob Tyler Roberts of Portland, killed two people and injured one before police found him dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts.

ENLARGE

Cindy Yuillle a victim of Tuesday's shooting.
Reuters

The gunman didn't appear to know his victims and apparently shot randomly in the mall crowded with Christmas shoppers, pausing only when his gun jammed after several rounds, Sheriff Roberts said. He was able to start shooting again, the sheriff said, adding that without the malfunction there might have been many more victims.

Authorities identified the two killed as Cindy Ann Yuille, a 54-year-old resident of northeast Portland, and Steven Mathew Forsyth, 45, of West Linn, Ore. Mr. Forsyth was a merchant at the mall, Ms. Yuille a shopper.

A spokeswoman for Oregon Health and Science University Hospital identified the injured victim as Kristina Shevchenko, a juvenile whose age wasn't released. Ms. Shevchenko was in stable condition at the hospital, she said.Ms. Shevchenko was awake Wednesday and talking to her family, said Laszlo Kiraly, a surgeon at the OHSU trauma center who operated on her. She suffered a gunshot wound to her chest, a collapsed lung and a significant loss of blood, Dr. Kiraly said, adding that he removed bullet fragments during surgery. Dr. Kiraly said he was "optimistic for her full recovery." Ms. Shevchenko is expected to remain hospitalized for about a week, he said.

Mr. Roberts, who graduated in 2008 from Oregon City High School, was "a soft-spoken and polite young man who was often eager to be helpful," the school said in a statement.

Mr. Roberts earlier attended schools in Portland and the North Clackamas School District, spending most of his high-school years at Milwaukie High School before transferring to Oregon City for his senior year, said Joe Krumm, director of community and government affairs for the North Clackamas district. Mr. Roberts was an average student whose school records contain "no evidence of discipline issues," according to Mr. Krumm.

Mr. Roberts allegedly drove to the Clackamas Town Center, entered through a Macy's store and opened fire in the food court, wearing a hockey mask, Sheriff Roberts said. After his gun jammed, he fled, running down a hallway, Sheriff Roberts said.

In addition to the gun's jamming, the mall's lockdown procedure and the rapid police response helped prevent more deaths, Sheriff Roberts said. A "large number of police officers arrived in the scene very rapidly, curtailing the suspect's ability to move around the mall," he said.

Police from a nearby transit center arrived on the scene about a minute after the first 911 call, the sheriff's office said. Within minutes, four SWAT teams responded and sought the shooter, Sheriff Roberts said. The teams then canvassed the 1.4-million-square-foot mall, where an estimated 10,000 people were shopping.

Families of the two people killed released statements on Wednesday.

"Cindy was everybody's friend. She was a wonderful person who was very caring and put others first," Ms. Yuille's family said.

Mr. Forsyth's family said: "Steve was one of the most passionate people with a true entrepreneurial spirit that drove him to start his business, Coastoms. He had a great sense of humor and zest for life."

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